Sebaceous glands secrete cerumen which contains lipids which collect in the ear canal. It is helpful that impactions or excess accumulations of cerumen be removed from the auditory canal prior to an ear examination. Such removal also facilitates a patient's hearing.
Presently, most physicians irrigate the auditory canal with a softening solution followed by the physical insertion of a small spatula or spoon-shaped device to scrape the excess cerumen from the walls of the auditory canal.
While this method of wax removal is usually satisfactory, it does run the risk of scraping or harming the tender lining of the auditory canal and does require some degree of physical dexterity and experience.
Because of such limitations, it will be seen to be helpful to healthcare personnel to have for their use a device which is simple to use, easy to construct, and effective to remove excess cerumen from the auditory canal of the patient.
Applicant provides herein for such a device and for a method for using the same, which device consists of a small balloon-tipped catheter placed directly over the tip of a syringe (or other source of air pressure), or through the use of a plastic insert extended over the tip of the syringe, which balloon tip, when deflated, will fit easily into the auditory canal and, when inflated (as by depressing the plunger of the syringe), will provide a base for accumulating excess cerumen when the syringe is removed from the auditory canal.